How do I install Podman?

Podman is a local plugin. Install it using PyPI package: mcp-podman-crunchtools and add the generated configuration snippet to your AI app's MCP config file. Then restart your AI app.

What credentials does Podman need?

Podman requires the following credentials or environment variables: PODMAN_SOCKET, PODMAN_SOCKET_FILE, PODMAN_TIMEOUT. You can find setup instructions on the server detail page.

What AI apps work with Podman?

Podman uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and works with any MCP-compatible AI app, including Claude, ChatGPT / Codex, Gemini, Copilot, Cursor, and more.

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Podman MCP Server

by Crunchtools

Developer ToolsUse Caution4.2MCP RegistryLocal

Free

Server data from the Official MCP Registry

MCP server for Podman container management via the Podman REST API

About

MCP server for Podman container management via the Podman REST API

Security Report

4.2

Use Caution4.2High Risk

A well-structured Podman MCP server with proper authentication via Unix socket access control and D-Bus validation. Code quality is good with strong input validation and appropriate error handling. Permissions align with the server's purpose (container management). Minor findings related to subprocess invocation and broad exception handling do not materially impact security given the constrained operational context. Supply chain analysis found 6 known vulnerabilities in dependencies (1 critical, 3 high severity). Package verification found 1 issue.

7 files analyzed · 11 issues found

Security scores are indicators to help you make informed decisions, not guarantees. Always review permissions before connecting any MCP server.

Permissions Required

This plugin requests these system permissions. Most are normal for its category.

env_vars

Check that this permission is expected for this type of plugin.

HTTP Network Access

Connects to external APIs or services over the internet.

system_info

Check that this permission is expected for this type of plugin.

File System Read

Reads files on your machine. Normal for tools that analyze or process local data.

process_spawn

Check that this permission is expected for this type of plugin.

dbus

Check that this permission is expected for this type of plugin.

What You'll Need

Set these up before or after installing:

NoOptional

Environment variable: PODMAN_SOCKET

NoOptional

Environment variable: PODMAN_SOCKET_FILE

NoOptional

Environment variable: PODMAN_TIMEOUT

How to Install

Add this to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-crunchtools-podman": {
      "env": {
        "PODMAN_SOCKET": "your-podman-socket-here",
        "PODMAN_TIMEOUT": "your-podman-timeout-here",
        "PODMAN_SOCKET_FILE": "your-podman-socket-file-here"
      },
      "args": [
        "mcp-podman-crunchtools"
      ],
      "command": "uvx"
    }
  }
}

Documentation

View on GitHub

From the project's GitHub README.

mcp-podman-crunchtools

MCP server for Podman container management via the Podman REST API. Manages containers, images, pods, networks, volumes, and system info. Supports both rootful and rootless Podman.

Installation

# uvx (zero-install)
uvx mcp-podman-crunchtools

# pip
pip install mcp-podman-crunchtools

# Container
podman run -v /run/podman/podman.sock:/run/podman/podman.sock:z \
  --security-opt label=type:container_runtime_t \
  quay.io/crunchtools/mcp-podman

Configuration

Variable	Required	Default	Description
`PODMAN_SOCKET`	No	Auto-detect	Unix socket path
`PODMAN_SOCKET_FILE`	No	—	File containing socket path
`PODMAN_TIMEOUT`	No	30	Request timeout in seconds

Socket auto-detection order:

$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/podman/podman.sock (rootless)
/run/user/$UID/podman/podman.sock (rootless fallback)
/run/podman/podman.sock (rootful)

Claude Code Integration

claude mcp add mcp-podman-crunchtools \
  --env PODMAN_SOCKET=/run/podman/podman.sock \
  -- uvx mcp-podman-crunchtools

Tools (30)

Containers (12)

Tool	Description
`container_list`	List containers
`container_inspect`	Get container details
`container_start`	Start a container
`container_stop`	Stop a container
`container_restart`	Restart a container
`container_kill`	Send signal to container
`container_rm`	Remove a container
`container_logs`	Get container logs
`container_top`	List processes
`container_stats`	Resource usage
`container_create`	Create a container
`container_prune`	Remove stopped containers

Images (5)

Tool	Description
`image_list`	List images
`image_inspect`	Get image details
`image_pull`	Pull from registry
`image_rm`	Remove an image
`image_prune`	Remove unused images

Pods (7)

Tool	Description
`pod_list`	List pods
`pod_inspect`	Get pod details
`pod_start`	Start a pod
`pod_stop`	Stop a pod
`pod_restart`	Restart a pod
`pod_rm`	Remove a pod
`pod_create`	Create a pod

Networks (2)

Tool	Description
`network_list`	List networks
`network_inspect`	Get network details

Volumes (2)

Tool	Description
`volume_list`	List volumes
`volume_inspect`	Get volume details

System (2)

Tool	Description
`system_info`	Podman system info
`system_df`	Disk usage

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later

Reviews

No reviews yet

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Podman MCP Server

About

Security Report

Findings (11)Action required

Permissions Required

What You'll Need

How to Install

Documentation

mcp-podman-crunchtools

Installation

Configuration

Claude Code Integration

Tools (30)

Containers (12)

Images (5)

Pods (7)

Networks (2)

Volumes (2)

System (2)

License

Reviews

No reviews yet

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